Montpelier, VT – Today, the Vermont House voted to pass S.213, the Flood Safety Act. This bill takes important steps to reduce flood risk across Vermont, at a critical time when flood-related disasters are becoming more frequent and more severe. The bill will now head back to the Senate for their consideration of the House amendments. Following the devastating floods of 2023, and in recognition that Vermont averages nearly 2 major flooding disasters annually, Vermont lawmakers took important steps to advance policies to improve our collective flood preparedness. These policies will improv ..read more

Two Things: We’re asking you to reach out to your lawmakers in support of two key bills that are headed for big votes in the State House this week!   Stay informed, stay connected – two things.  Tell your Senators: Support H.289 to Modernize the Renewable Energy Standard  A bill to modernize Vermont’s Renewable Energy Standard (H.289) is headed for a vote by the full Senate this week. H.289 would reform our existing Renewable Energy Standard to meet the urgency of the climate crisis and put Vermont on a path to becoming 100% renewable by 2035 ..read more

Vermont Natural Resources Council, in collaboration with its strategic partner, Vermont Conservation Voters, is seeking a passionate and dedicated Climate Action Organizer to support our policy, electoral and grassroots campaigns, volunteer management, and outreach. This role will be focused on community and public engagement, grassroots organizing, and campaign management and advancement. The organizer will help build relationships and capacity in communities across Vermont, including through the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN), and will work to identify and strengthen relat ..read more

Three Things: Recapping recent action to address PFAS, sharing opportunities to weigh in on the Clean Heat Standard’s development, and inviting communities to apply for Small Grants for Smart Growth.  Stay informed, connected, and engaged—three things. PFAS Progress: Recent Federal and State Action to Protect Vermonters from Harmful Toxic Exposure The past couple of weeks have brought huge progress in addressing harmful PFAS exposure. The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the first-ever national drinking water standards to limit 6 compounds of these fore ..read more

Have you ever hoped for a one-stop shop to find rebates to make your home greener? Check out the all-new, energy opportunities calculator, brought to you in partnership with Rewiring America and Efficiency Vermont. Enter your zip code, household size, income, tax filing, and homeowner status to see a summary of the total incentives available to you. Learn more and check out the calculator for yourself at: https://www.efficiencyvermont.com/blog/how-to/how-much-money-can-you-actually-get-in-clean-energy-incentives ..read more

This week, we saw lots of movement in our priority climate bills! The House Committee on Environment and Energy passed three priority bills: the Climate Superfund Act (S.259), the Miscellaneous Public Utility Commission (PUC) bill (S.305) and the Flood Safety Act (S.213). Each of these bills will head to other committees before they come before the full House for a vote. The Climate Superfund Act will hold the largest fossil fuel companies responsible for helping pay for the damage their products are causing. The Miscellaneous PUC bill was amended to include an energy cost stabilization study ..read more

Two Things: We’re hiring for two exciting positions, and inviting you to VECAN’s Spring Summit!   Stay informed, stay connected – two things.  We’re Hiring an Executive Director and a Communications Associate! Are you passionate about environmental advocacy and eager to make a meaningful impact? Join VRNC in our mission to protect Vermont’s natural resources and promote sustainable communities! We are seeking a dynamic Communications Associate to join our team and support strategic communication initiatives and engage with stakeholders, members, an ..read more

On April 8, 2024, VNRC and our partners at Audubon Vermont submitted formal comments to the U.S. Forest Service on proposed management alternatives for the Telephone Gap Integrated Resource Project (IRP), which outlines a wide variety of proposed forest and natural resources management activities in the Green Mountain National Forest, Rochester, and Middlebury Ranger Districts in Vermont. Read more background about the Telephone Gap IRP and our involvement thus far here. VNRC and Audubon Vermont had previously submitted in Spring 2023 encouraging the Forest Service to develop one or more alter ..read more

This week in the State House there has been lots of movement on many important climate, clean energy and resilience bills, including the House Environment and Energy Committee taking up the Flood Safety Act (S.213) and the miscellaneous Public Utility Commission bill (S.305). There was also a joint hearing of House Judiciary and House Environment and Energy to consider the Climate Change Superfund Act (S.259).  Further, the full House unanimously passed a bill to ban PFAS and other harmful chemicals from cosmetic and menstrual products, and it bans PFAS from apparel, children’s produ ..read more

Another week, another big vote on climate legislation. On Tuesday, the Senate voted 26-3 to pass the Climate Superfund Act (S.259)! This incredibly strong tripartisan vote gives the bill a ton of momentum as it moves to the House – and with its passage, all our priority climate bills have officially moved onto their second chamber. On this week’s Climate Dispatch, Representative Kate Logan (P/D-Burlington) joins us to outline her hopes for climate progress this session, including the advancement of the miscellaneous Public Utility Com ..read more